The invention relates to a peritoneal waste bag support and drainage device. In particular, the invention is a collapsible table that supports and promotes the drainage of fluids from a peritoneal waste bag in an efficient and sanitary manner.
Healthy kidneys clean the blood by filtering out extra water and wastes. In addition they also produce hormones that aid in maintaining strong bones and healthy blood. In the event that a patient""s kidneys fail to operate properly, his or her body holds the fluids in the blood. Thereafter, the blood pressure may rise and cause harmful wastes to build up in the body. Further, the body fails to produce an adequate level of red blood cells. In response, one needs to receive regular treatments to replace the work of the failed kidneys in order to remove waste products from the blood.
Artificial kidney machines and procedures have been developed that make use of dialysis to purify the blood of persons whose kidneys have ceased to function. Peritoneal dialysis, a procedure that replaces the work of one""s kidneys, is becoming the most rapidly growing area of dialysis in the country today. This type of dialysis uses the lining of the abdomen, known as the peritoneal membrane, to filter the blood. It removes extra water, wastes, and chemicals from the body, without having to physically remove blood from the patient""s body.
In peritoneal dialysis, the dialysis fluid, a cleaning solution called dialysate, is introduced into the abdominal cavity through a small, pliable tube, known as a catheter. This catheter is surgically inserted into the patient""s abdomen, and serves to transport the dialysate to and from the peritoneal membrane. Fluid, wastes, and chemicals pass from tiny blood vessels in the abdominal peritoneal membrane into the dialysate. After several hours, the dialysate is drained from the abdomen, removing the wastes from the blood with it. The abdomen is then filled with fresh dialysate and the cleaning process begins again.
Many advantages of peritoneal dialysis have been recognized since the introduction of the procedure in the early 1980s. Besides reducing the amount of time needed to travel to and from a hospital or dialysis center, this type of dialysis promotes physical independence. Further, a patient is able to travel to any part of the world, as long as advance notification is given in order to have his or her solution shipped by the manufacturer to the destination. Besides the obvious advantages, peritoneal dialysis is also less obtrusive to one""s body. This procedure promotes a general feeling of wellness since a blood pump is not necessary, and blood is not removed from the body. Moreover, access for this type of dialysis is obtained with a simple operation to the abdominal wall wherein a catheter is put in place.
Patients utilizing peritoneal dialysis are often faced with the task of lifting, carrying, and emptying the waste bag after drainage. Because of the amount of fluid that accumulates after several hours, the bag is quite heavy and cumbersome to transport. Further, it may take several minutes for the bag to drain, during which time one has to wait, holding the bag in order to ensure that it does not slip away from the toilet or sink.
Thus, there exists a need for a device which may aid one in emptying his or her peritoneal bag efficiently and in a sanitary manner. Such a device would provide a base to support the bag and aim the contents contained therein into the toilet or sink during drainage, without the need of a person to stand and hold same.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,622 to Pacelli discloses a peritoneal waste discharge system including a disinfectant storage chamber, a measuring chamber, a discharge cup, a peritoneal bag, and a conduit. All components are in selectable fluid contact with each other. While this system may serve to adequately disinfect the waste before discharge, it is cumbersome and may not be easily transported. Further, the construction demands that the unit be kept entacted in one""s bathroom, in close proximity to the toilet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,633 to Saunders et al. discloses a ostomy bag cleaning apparatus wherein a patient may drain the bag into the toilet without having to remove the bag from the patient""s body.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,097 to Gaffar discloses a dialysis bag holder, the construction of which is intended to fill the bag, rather than drain same.
While the available units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.
In the view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved peritoneal waste bag support and drainage device. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved peritoneal waste bag support and drainage device which has all the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a peritoneal waste bag support and drainage device having a pair of front legs, a pair of rear legs, and a flat horizontal table supported by the front and rear legs. The table has a front end, a rear end, a top surface, and a bottom surface. Each pair of legs has a main portion and a bottom sleeve. The main portion extends downward from the bottom surface of the table, while the bottom sleeve extends upward from the ground and envelopes the main portion of the legs. In order to adjust the length of the legs, the main portion is slid inside the corresponding bottom sleeve until the desired height is reached. When setting up the support device for use, in order to facilitate flow of fluid from a peritoneal waste bag, the front legs should be adjusted to a shorter height than the rear legs. Further, the device is collapsible in order to allow it be stored beside a toilet when not in use, or carried to various destinations when traveling.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved peritoneal waste bag support and drainage device which has all the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved peritoneal waste bag support and drainage device which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved peritoneal waste bag support and drainage device which is of durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved peritoneal waste bag support and drainage device which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such peritoneal waste bag draining device economically available to the buying public.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved peritoneal waste bag support and drainage device which is collapsible into a thin lightweight structure. This feature allows one to conveniently store the support device out of sight. Further, it may easily be transported to additional locations whenever necessary.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.
To the accomplishment of the above and related objects the invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Attention is called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only. Variations are contemplated as being part of the invention, limited only by the scope of the claims.